McMaster Litter Clean-Up in Lot M Parking-Ancaster Creek

Help clean up litter from McMaster's parking lot "M" next to the lovely Ancaster Creek. This large parking area abuts the creek and is in need of some tender loving care. The area on the other side of the creek is home to deer, turtles, beaver, hawks, and coyotes, to name a few residents.

We will meet at 11am Saturday, June 4, during World Environment Week, in the parking lots west of Cootes Drive, in Zone "M"

Bags and gloves will be provided.

The Hamilton Conservation Authority will be supplying beverages and light snacks!

Afterward, we can explore the area and uncover the history of how the Royal Botanical Gardens Coldspring Valley Trails became McMaster Parking.

For more information, or to volunteer, please contact Randy at randy.opirg@gmail.com

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Guest Blogger: Carly Stephens Since its inception, Parking to Paradise has been a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration. Many readers are familiar with the Ancaster Creek riparian buffer and restoration work along the Northwest border of the parking lot. Interested parties across many faculties and disciplines have worked together to restore this ecosystem and raise awareness about the impacts urbanization on the natural environment. Nurtured by the time, commitment and hard work donated by volunteers and students, the land has grown into a site of green infrastructure, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable development. Read about Reyna Matties' Master’s work on retrofitting storm water management systems on the lot in the December 7, 2015 post below. Now, it’s the social sciences turn to learn where green infrastructure developments - as with the case of Lot M - fits into our social world.

My research involves exploring the various roles that green space plays in our urb…

Urbanization displaces and degrades ecosystems that are critical for humans, animals, and plants. Sustainable urban development has become a priority in the challenge to re-design our ageing infrastructure. Working to coexist peacefully with the surrounding environment will increase sustainability. As a graduate student of Biology at McMaster University, I am studying the applied ecology and hydrology of a parking lot system (Lot M). Ancaster Creek, a rare cold-water ecosystem, runs along Lot M and is part of an essential wildlife corridor for native species such as salmon, turtle, and deer. Together with Dr. Susan Dudley, I am working to retrofit the stormwater management of the system to minimize the impact of contaminants and runoff into the creek.

One method of achieving this goal is through increasing and restoring the land next to the creek. This is called a riparian buffer, which protects the system by providing habitat for animals, increasing sto…